Testing Services for Ceramic Tile and Natural Stone
- Ceramic Tile Testing, Natural Stone Testing, Glass Tile Testing,
Installation Products Testing, and Forensic Testing -
CTaSC performs project site testing to include ceramic tile testing, glass tile testing, limestone testing, granite testing, marble testing, travertine testing, sandstone testing, slate testing, and other natural stone assembly testing. CTaSC specifieis, manages, performs, and evaluates ANSI standards and ASTM physical property laboratory testing on ceramic tile, natural stone, granite, marble, slate, sandstone, limestone, travertine, glass tile, installation materials, and to substantiate or further determine the cause of failures in forensic investigations.
CTaSC is a ceramic tile expert, a natural stone expert (marble expert, granite expert, sandstone expert, limestone expert, travertine expert, slate expert), a engineer stone expert, a glass tile expert, a brick expert, and a concrete paver expert for all types of ceramic tile applications, stone applications, glass tile applicatoins, and other types of tile applications. CTaSC particularly specializes in high risk applications such as bathroom shower installations, exterior veneer installations, exterior decks/balconies, and in swimming pool installations.
Quality Control Services – CTaSC tests and evaluates ceramic tile, natural stone, granite, marble, slate, sandstone, limestone, travertine, glass tile, and installation materials for their suitability for their intended use as part of developing installation guidelines and specifications for projects.
Product or System Evaluation Services – CTaSC develops and manages studies to test and evaluate the performance of ceramic tile, glass tile, stone products or systems, granite, marble, slate, sandstone, limestone, travertine, glass tile, and installation materials . Accelerated aging tests can be developed with control and periodic physical property testing to determine long term performance of tile and stone products and systems.
Forensic Investigation Testing - CTaSC takes a scientific approach to investigations of ceramic tile, natural stone, granite, marble, slate, sandstone, limestone, travertine, glass tile, and installation materials failures. Complete testing services are available to substantiate the mechanism of failures and to help further determine the nature and cause of a ceramic tile or stone failure. Testing includes site testing of tile assemblies, laboratory petrographic analysis, chemical analysis, developing performance models, replication mockup testing, microbial (mold) testing, and other experimental testing.
Natural Stone Testing – CTaSC performs testing on natural stone to determine its physical properties as compared to its respective ASTM minimum/maximum requirements. CTaSC performs limestone testing, granite testing, marble testing, travertine testing, sandstone testing, slate testing, onyx testing, and other natural stone assembly testing. Testing is provided for adhered applications as well as mechanical anchor attachment applications. Some of the common tests includes:
- ASTM Physical Properties Testing (Basic Five Tests) – ASTM C503 Marble; ASTM C569 Limestone; ASTM C615 Granite; ASTM C616 Quartz-based (sandstone; quartzite); ASTM C629 Slate; ASTM C1527 Travertine.
- Petrographic Evaluation per ASTM C295, Standard Guide for Petrographic Examination of Aggregates for Concrete (modified for stone)
- Natural Stone Moisture Sensitive Dimension Stability Testing
- Accelerated Weathering Testing
- Mechanical Anchor ASTM C1354 testing
- Slip Resistance Testing
Ceramic Tile Testing – CTaSC performs testing on ceramic tile to determine its physical properties as compared to its respective ASTM minimum/maximum requirements. Testing is provided for adhered applications. Some of the common tests includes:
- ASTM Physical Properties and Characteristics according to ANSI A137.1 standards:
- Absorption Test ASTM 373
- Bond Strength Test ASTM C482
- Warpage Test ASTM C485
- Robinson Floor Performance Test ASTM C627
- Freeze Thaw test ASTM C1026
- Static Coeficient of Friction test ASTM C1028
- Chemical and Stain resistance testing
- Other ceramic tile and glass ASTM standards as shown on ASTM Glass & Ceramics website: ASTM Glass & Ceramics Standards.
Installation Material Testing – CTaSC performs testing on installation materials that are used to install ceramic tile, glass tile, limestone testing, granite testing, marble testing, travertine testing, sandstone testing, slate testing, and other natural stone assembly testing. Testing is performed according to ANSI A118, A136.1, and ASTM C627 standards and test methods to determine if the respective products comply with those standards. Some of the common tests includes:
- Thin-set performance according to ANSI A118.1, A118.4, A118.11
- Epoxy performance according to ANSI A118.3 and A118.5
- Grout performance according to ANSI A118.6 and A118.7
- Waterproof Membrane according to ANSI A118.10
- Crack Isolation Membrane according to ANSI A118.12
- Organic Adhesive (mastic) according to ANSI A136.1
Testing costs and timing is quoted on a case by case basis. Contact CTaSC for a cost proposal.
Tile Installation Testing Methods and Standards
CTaSC performs objective inspections and testing of ceramic tile, glass tile, limestone tile, marble tile, granite tile, slate tile, sandstone tile, travertine tile, and natural stone tile applications based on TCA - Tile Council of America Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installations recommended installation methods and referenced standards, based on ANSI A108 American National Standard Specifications for the Installation of Ceramic Tile and Stone Tile, based on the MIA - Marble Institute of America Dimension Stone Design Manual for stone slab and stone tile applications, and based on any other relevant standards.
The MIA - Marble Institute of America Dimension Stone Design Manual references TCA - Tile Council of America Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installations to be used for stone tile applications. The TCA - Tile Council of America Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installations does reference its installation methods to natural stone tiles, including agglomerates, and glass tile applications.
